Category: Self Defense

USCCA President Tim Schmidt Offers Condolences to Victims of University Attack

West Bend, WI – United States Concealed Carry Association Founder & President Tim Schmidt has released the following statement regarding today’s attack on the campus of Ohio State University:

“Our thoughts are with the victims of today’s cowardly attack on the campus of Ohio State University and we pray for their quick recovery. We also commend the quick and courageous actions of the armed campus police officer who engaged and neutralized the attacker. As all of us learn more about this latest attack and assess what can be done to prevent future injuries or loss of life, it should not go ignored that the students and faculty affected today were left without the right to protect themselves, since state law prohibits law-abiding citizens from carrying a concealed weapon on campus. While everyone is grateful that a law enforcement officer was quickly on the scene today, that is often not the case, and it is sadly too often that laws like these make innocent citizens in ‘gun-free’ zones the target of those with bad intentions. It’s our hope that lawmakers in Ohio and across the country will reconsider these irrational laws and give law-abiding Americans the opportunity to defend themselves and others.” Read more

GW: This mission to end “gun-free zones” came to mind yesterday after the terrorists attack at Ohio State University.

COLUMBUS, OH – The attack at The Ohio State University today is yet another reminder that no-gun “victim zones” do not make anyone safer.According to The Columbus Dispatch, “Nine people were injured when a man ran into pedestrians with his car on the Ohio State University campus, then exited the vehicle with a butcher knife and started cutting victims.”

Fortunately, an OSU police officer was close by and able to shoot and kill the suspect to stop the attack. But even so, those being attacked were unable to defend themselves effectively because Ohio law forbids carrying a concealed handgun on school campuses, even if school authorities may be willing to allow it.

This is why it is vital that HB 48 is passed into law. This bill would eliminate many of Ohio’s no-gun victim zones, including schools and universities. Read more

(MANSFIELD, TEXAS) – Firefield Stun Guns are designed to ruin the day of any aggressor in need of a shocking reality check. With over 1.1 million violent crimes occurring in the U.S. each year, taking responsibility for your own protection and refusing to become a statistic has become more than a right; it has become a responsibility. While self-defense is critically important, many either cannot or will not carry a firearm. Whether you carry a stun gun with or in lieu of a firearm, self-preservation should never be a compromise.

In case you missed it, the Washington Times reports today that amid the rising number of Americans licensed to carry a concealed handgun, more states are passing laws that don’t require a permit to carry firearms, embracing the view that self-defense is a “natural born” right. Missouri became the fourth state this year to approve a so-called “constitutional carry” law when Republican legislators overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon on Sept. 15, making permitless carry legal. West Virginia, Mississippi and Idaho also have adopted constitutional carry laws in 2016, bringing the total number of such states to 12.

“States that focus on freedom realize that if self-defense truly is a natural-born right, and the Second Amendment truly affirms that natural-born right, you shouldn’t have to ask the government for permission to exercise it,” said Tim Schmidt, president of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association in West Bend, Wisconsin. “Kind of like you don’t have to ask the government to exercise the First Amendment.” Read more

Springfield, Mo. and Sidney, Neb. – October 3, 2016 – Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Incorporated (NYSE:CAB), two iconic American outdoor companies with similar humble origins, and with a shared goal to better serve those who love the outdoors, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Bass Pro Shops will acquire Cabela’s for $65.50 per share in cash, representing an aggregate transaction value of approximately $5.5 billion. Read more

BELLEVUE, WA – The “mainstream press” is once again trying to spin away from positive coverage about armed citizens and the fallacy of so-called “gun-free zones” in its reports about the St. Cloud, Minnesota mall shooting and the hero shooter, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“There have been very few references to the fact that Jason Falconer owns and operates a private business in which he teaches firearms and self-defense skills to armed private citizens,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “He is a firearms instructor and competitive shooter, and his skill with firearms certainly paid off for the citizens of St. Cloud last Saturday.

“The media has made only passing reference to the fact that Mr. Falconer was out of his police jurisdiction, and off duty at the time of the shooting,” Gottlieb added. “In effect, he was essentially an armed citizen on a shopping trip to the mall who acted in defense of himself and others who were attacked by a dangerous man armed with a knife.”

Crossroads Center’s website lists a “code of conduct” that includes a prohibition on “firearms and illegal weapons.” Gottlieb said it was fortunate that Falconer was armed despite this prohibition, because having a gun stopped the carnage and may have saved lives.

“How many times must it be repeated before the public understands that ‘gun-free zones’ can be magnets for mayhem,” Gottlieb wondered. “It goes against all common sense that malls and other public venues would mandate disarming visitors, thus leaving them vulnerable to attack. Read more

Tim Schmidt, President & Founder of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, Available for CommentaryU.S. Concealed Carry Association Discusses New Headquarters in West Bend, WI U.S. Concealed Carry Assoc. President, Tim Schmidt, on Defending the 2nd Amendment The Story of The USCCA in 60 Seconds

The media has noted over the last 24 hours that the St. Cloud, Minnesota mall in which the September 17 mass stabbing occurred is a “gun free zone” that expressly forbids “firearms or illegal weapons.” Fortunately, the attack was stopped by an off-duty police officer, Jason Falcone, who carried his gun with him, the “gun free” policy notwithstanding.

Of note, Officer Falcone is also a certified firearms instructor with the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA).

Tim Schmidt, President and Founder of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, today made the following statement regarding Saturday’s terrorist attack in Minnesota:

“The thoughts and prayers of my family and the members of the USCCA across the country are with the victims of this terrible attack. By all accounts Officer Jason Falcone is a hero and even though he was off-duty, he put himself in harms’ way to protect and defend others.

“As the investigation of the circumstances surrounding this attack unfolds in the days ahead and we discuss ways to try and prevent future attacks, it’s my hope the critical role of concealed carry rights can play in incidents like this will be part of that conversation.

“Gun free zones’ are essentially advertisements to evil-doers of soft targets where citizens will not have the ability to fight back. We don’t know if an ordinary citizen with a concealed carry permit could have stopped this attack earlier because firearms and other weapons were expressly banned by mall policy. But we do know the loss of life was prevented because an armed, law-abiding citizen ignored that policy and stepped forward to defend those who could not defend themselves.

“This should not be ignored in the aftermath of this attack as we look at ways to keep America safe in the face of rising threats.” Read more

Officials with the Lubbock Police Department say one person was shot the morning of August 9 at La Super Carniceria Meat Market in the 2100 block of Clovis Road.

Lt. Ray Mendoza with the Lubbock Police Department said they received a call at 9:13 a.m. about shots fired.

During the investigation, police learned a Bimbo Bakeries employee was delivering an order of sweet bread to La Super Carniceria Meat Market with his wife when he noticed someone taking food out of his truck and was putting it into another vehicle.

BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today blasted two prominent Pacific Northwest gun prohibition lobbying groups for proposing legislation aimed at penalizing law-abiding gun owners for the crimes of racist cop killers and home-grown terrorists.”The ban on so-called ‘assault weapons’ proposed Wednesday by Washington Ceasefire and Ceasefire Oregon plays on public fear, and goes after the wrong people,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “But at least for the first time both groups are officially out of the closet as gun prohibition organizations. No longer can they hide behind the façade of ‘gun safety’ or even ‘gun control.’ They want to ban an entire class of firearms.”Read more